Eight years ago Lily Swanson left Havashaw County with a broken heart. Now circumstances have brought her back to the cowboy who still drives her crazy. Seeing him again stirs erotic memories, but the pain of his betrayal refuses to be soothed with a sexy smile.

Lily left him. That inescapable fact drives Thor Hanson to succeed more than any other. Her return to Havashaw triggers anger, lust and regret, but when she reveals the truth behind her leaving, he's determined to rein her in and show her that what they have is more than a memory.

Neither can deny their passion, as untamable as the broncs Thor trains. But will it be enough, and can Thor convince Lily she's right where she belongs?

Untamable by Becca Dale was something of a surprise. I usually don't go in for contemporary romance, little lone romances based around cowboys but, this novel truly captivated me. The world building and characterization was spot on, creating characters that were complex and seemed to leap to life from the very pages. The atmosphere was vividly created and while this story was short, and I do mean short, that didn't prevent it from being an emotional roller coaster that perfectly mirrored the unpredictability of a bucking bronc.

The atmosphere was definitely what captured me from the get go. The wonderful little details, right down to the smell of the charity rodeo, brings the little town of Havashaw to life with great little nuances that give it substance. I mean, where else do you see not only the visual side of the world explored, but the textures of sight, smell and sound. This added a three dimensional aspect that I really loved. There was also something of a hopeful air about the story as young love and past hurts simmer below a seemingly calm surface. But, like any good rodeo, the tension that rages is full of passion and stubbornness making the world become even more dynamic and emotional then at first glance.

The personalities of the characters' is definitely another aspect that I really enjoyed about this novel. Dale did a wonderful job capturing the cocky, arrogance of cowboy Thor 'Thunder' Hanson and the stubbornness he possesses born of pure male domination. After being injured in a bronc riding competition in his youth, his ego took a severe hit and the loss of Lily only added severe insult to injury. Of course Lily shares in that heartache tinged with the bitter edge of betrayal unable to see passed her hurt to the truth behind nothing more then a misunderstanding. When she returns to the town of Havashaw all these years later her worry, pain and love come crashing back on her. But, where these two are perfectly matched is in their pride. Neither is willing to bend to the other, but where Lily fails for me is her inability to fight for what she wants. Years ago she allowed the love of her life to slip through her fingers simply because she was too wrapped up in her pride to fight for Thor. Now, years later, she's still nursing her wounds unwilling or unable to fight for the man that obviously is crazy about her. But, where I couldn't fault her was that Thor never made his feelings clear, but being a cowboy, and an extremely cocky one at that, is that so surprising? Actions tend to speak louder then words, but these two definitely needed to learn the art of communication!

The relationship between these two is pretty complex as well despite the shortness of the story. The underlying sexual tension and just plain fear that runs between the two is certainly something that sucks you in to the story and these characters' lives. You end up finding yourself rooting for Thor, despite his high handedness, and wanting to smack Lily upside the head for being too weak to accept her own feelings as she nurses her wounded pride, always eager to run away to the safety of seclusion. There is also quite a bit of spice between these two resulting in some really hot, passionate scenes that were befitting of a rough-and-tumble cowpoke and his woman.

The writing was great, perfectly capturing the scenes and characters as well as being extremely fluid. The plot was well conceived with nice attention to detail leaving my only wish that this had been longer. More development would have been nice because I would have liked to see these two characters more deeply explored. Their relationship was complex and the history between them also would have been nice to see a bit more of. There were definitely a lot of things that I would have liked to see, but considering the story is only a little over seventy pages this is far more in depth then I would have thought possible creating a captivating connection within only a few pages.

Overall, this was a great read with characters that I enjoyed reading about. And while I would have liked to see 'more', there was nothing minimalistic about this story as it was intense, passionate and extremely sexy.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Scars

Advisory: Strong sexual content

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of the Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours and a copy was provided to me by the author. although payment may have been received by Book Lovin' Bitches Ebook Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review nor was there an obligation to write a positive one. all opinions expressed here are entirely mine and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, the book's publisher and publicist or the readers of this review. this disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

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